Melbourne Prelate Protests Cloning Threat

March 14, 2007
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MELBOURNE, Australia, MARCH 14, 2007 (ZENIT.org).- Responding to media reports about legislation to introduce "therapeutic" human cloning, Melbourne's archbishop called on the government to resist such moves.

A message posted Tuesday on the archdiocesan Web site recalled the Church's position on cloning.

"If such (media) reports are true, then a very serious ethical debate would need to be conducted in the community," Archbishop Denis Hart said. "There are issues of enormous importance at stake here.

"To allow human embryos to be deliberately created and then destroyed for scientific research is always unethical."

The Web site added: "The Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne will be monitoring developments on this matter very carefully in the times ahead.

"The archbishop will communicate his concerns and perspectives … once further details are known of the state government's intentions."